Chapter 454 - 338: Arthur Solomon

Chapter 454: Chapter 338: Arthur Solomon

The next day, with his territory and Mad Heart operating as usual, Isaac took Smith, Lorna, and Liu Li through the Teleportation Array directly to Solomon Royal City. He had some things he needed to discuss with his older brother, Caesar.

"Uncle Isaac." Upon teleporting into Solomon Royal City, a handsome, golden-haired young man dressed in casual blue attire was already waiting for them with several servants.

"Mm." Isaac nodded casually, turning his head to survey the bright, white teleportation hall. His brow raised slightly, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

Because woven into it, he saw the faint traces of a Tier Four Great Arcane Art!

Isaac knew very well what this meant. After all, he’d had some brief exchanges with a few Arcanists in the Wilderness Dungeon. This meant his big sister was making a push for Tier Four!

’She only advanced a few years ago. Why is she in such a rush?’

Arcanists were different from Legendary Mages. An Arcanist’s advancement wasn’t as simple as a Legendary Mage’s, which was like leveling up in a game—just accumulate enough experience and meet the requirements to advance.

Arcanists placed great importance on the accumulation and innovation of Knowledge, so a period of consolidation was very important!

Take Mensa Ballos, a pillar of the former Empire. He had remained at Tier Three for decades, until he was practically "marinated" in the Knowledge of Tier Three, before finally advancing to Tier Four.

Like Legendary Mages, Arcanists also had "shortcuts," but few Arcanists ever took them. After all, the price for an Arcanist to take a shortcut was far greater than for a Legendary Mage.

’But clearly, Big Sis is taking that shortcut...’

The shortcut for an Arcanist’s advancement was to choose an existing Tier Four Great Arcane Art to learn and inscribe, rather than researching and creating their own.

One had to understand that although Arcanists were strong, their history was relatively short compared to Legendary Mages. Their foundations were comparatively lacking, especially in terms of high-end combat power. From Tier Four onward, there weren’t many Great Arcane Arts for them to choose from, as they had to consider not only their future development but also their own compatibility with the art.

A Great Arcane Art learned from another might be more complete and powerful than a self-created one. However, because it wasn’t one’s own creation, optimizing it in the future would be much more difficult, and it would never be as intuitive as a personal invention.

’Therefore, any Arcanist with a shred of ambition would never choose this path. Is the pressure on the Solomons really that great?’

At that thought, Isaac sighed.

"Uncle Isaac?" Arthur Solomon looked at his uncle, who had sighed for no apparent reason after emerging from the Teleportation Array, his face showing his confusion.

"It’s nothing. Is my older brother available?" Isaac waved dismissively, looking at his brother’s grown son.

"Grandfather and Father are already waiting for you in the Royal Palace." With that, Arthur stepped aside, made a gesture of invitation, and then turned to lead Isaac towards the Royal Palace.

Isaac nodded. He and his companions, Smith included, followed his nephew. As they walked, Isaac looked Arthur up and down, shaking his head inwardly with a sense of helplessness.

’A Great Knight at the peak of Tier Two...’

’One step away from Tier Three, just like his older brother was.’

This could be considered a drawback of being a Knight of the Path of the Gods. Starting from the advancement to Tier Three, one required their own exclusive Power of Faith. This power could not be shared; if another person took a share, you would have less. And the further one walked this path, the more Power of Faith was required.

So, although Knights of the Path of the Gods were strong, most of them would eventually switch to the Path of the Demon Beasts. The reason was simple: due to the unique nature of the Knights of God, they were almost always from the Nobility, and the Nobility had to consider matters of succession.

Although a Knight’s lifespan wasn’t nearly endless like a Wizard’s, it wasn’t short either. A High-level Knight could easily live for three to five hundred years. This meant they couldn’t wait until death to pass on their titles.

A Crown Prince of several decades would be tempted to rebel, let alone one of several hundred years.

Therefore, it was the accepted practice for a Knight of God to abdicate after advancing to Tier One. They would then switch their cultivation to the Path of the Demon Beasts, allowing their heir to inherit the title of Lord and the Power of Faith it represented.

But this situation basically only occurred among the established Nobility. For the new, rising nobles, passing on their title?

Like hell they would!

Now was the prime time to strive and build their power!

So, in these territories, it was common to have a "Crown Prince" who was in their position for decades, or even over a hundred years!

And without a doubt, the Solomon Territory was exactly this kind of domain!

Furthermore, Arthur’s situation was even more extreme. Before now, the Solomon Territory had operated on this model as well. Arthur’s grandfather, Gaia, had been able to take the throne because his own father was a Knight on the Path of the Demon Beasts. This meant that Caesar, originally, shouldn’t have had the right to inherit.

But as the saying goes, the best-laid plans often go awry. Caesar, who possessed the "Venerable Bone," had talent that was simply too heaven-defying. Even after having his "bone dug out," his talent remained outrageous, which is what gave his father, Gaia, the idea to pass the throne to him.

’But clearly, while Arthur’s talent is good, it’s nowhere near Caesar’s...’

If he wanted to advance further now, he had two choices. He could take the Path of the Demon Beasts. Alternatively, he could hope for the Solomon Kingdom’s territory and population to double. If he established sufficient merit during that process, he could then attempt the Path of the Gods. But even then, he would have to quietly serve as Crown Prince for another one or two hundred years before he could inherit the throne...

But the latter...

Was obviously impossible...

"Arthur, what are your thoughts on the future?" As they were walking, Isaac suddenly asked Arthur, who was in the middle of introducing him to the Royal City.

Hearing this, Arthur fell silent.

"I don’t know..."

’Inherit the throne?’

’Unlikely. My father, Caesar, is incredibly talented, both as a Knight and as a politician. I’m no match for him.’

’But take the Path of the Demon Beasts?’

’He just couldn’t accept that!’

While the Path of the Demon Beasts was a grand highway to power, that didn’t mean the Solomon Clan’s version of the Path of the Demon Beasts was also a grand highway...

Their Solomon Knight cultivation method had a limit; the highest it could reach was Tier Three...

The reason his grandfather was able to advance to Tier Four was because he relied on the Path of the Gods and then switched to the Path of the Demon Beasts. If he had switched paths back at Tier Three, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to break through to Tier Four now!

How could Arthur be willing to accept this?

But...

’It seems I have no choice...’

’Powerful Knight legacies aren’t that easy to find.’

"You don’t know? In that case, you can consider an offer from me." Seeing the hope that suddenly lit up Arthur’s blue eyes, Isaac continued, mercilessly dashing his expectations. "Don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking you to inherit my territory. I don’t have any Knight legacies on hand, either. I just have ways for you to keep getting stronger. Whether you want to stop being human or take a new Extraordinary path, I can give you options. Think it over."

Hearing this, the light of hope in Arthur’s eyes dimmed. But soon, as if remembering something, he glanced sharply at Smith behind Isaac, was silent for a moment, and then nodded.

"Thank you, Uncle Isaac. I will consider it seriously!"

"Mm." Isaac nodded casually and didn’t say anything more.

’Although I made a promise to Arthur, the truth is...’

’I don’t actually have many options to give him. There’s becoming a Pure-blooded Giant Dragon. As for the Path of the Extraordinary, there’s the Law-Breaking Swordsman, but that whole thing was prepared for the Solomons to begin with. Not only is its potential limited, but he wouldn’t need to come to me for it anyway.’

’Still, I wasn’t just stringing Arthur along. If there’s no way forward, you make one.’

’If there’s no solution, I’ll just have to research one.’

’My focus is gradually shifting toward exploring the New World and new paths for Wizards anyway. Researching an Extraordinary path for Knights on the side should be manageable.’